Jordan is a land steeped in history. It has been home to some of
mankind's earliest settlements and villages, and relics of many of the world's
great civilizations can still be seen today.

As
the crossroads of the Middle East, the lands of Jordan and
Palestine have served as a strategic nexus connecting Asia, Africa and Europe.

Thus, since the dawn of civilization, Jordan's geography has
given it an important role to play as a conduit for trade and
communications,connecting east and west, north and south. Jordan continues to
play this role today.

Because
of its centralized location, the land of Jordan is a
geographic prize which changed hands many times throughout antiquity.

Parts
of Jordan were included in the dominions of ancient Iraq,
including the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian and Mesopotamian Empires.

From
the west, Pharaonic Egypt extended its power and culture
into Jordan, while the nomadic Nabateans built their empire in Jordan after
migrating

from the south of the Arabian peninsula.

Finally, Jordan was incorporated into the classical
civilizations of Greece, Rome and Persia, the relics of which are scattered
across the Jordanian landscape.

Since
themid-seventh century CE, the land of Jordan has remained
almost continuously in the hands of various Arab and Islamic dynasties.

The
second geographical factor which has helped shape the
history of Jordan concerns climate. Only the northern highlands and the Jordan
Valley have received enough rainfall to support large populations.

Therefore, this area has always been more settled by farmers,
villagers and townspeople. Most of the urban civilizations of Jordan have been
based in these fertile lands. To the south and east, meanwhile, there is very
little rainfall and no rivers for irrigation. These desert areas, which comprise
the majority of
Jordan, have rarely supported large settled populations In some
periods, there appears to have been no settled population at all. The lifestyle
of the Bedouin inhabitants of these desert lands has remained similar in some
respects to that of their Edomite or Nabatean predecessors.

The
contrast between the pastoral "desert" and
agriculturally fertile lands is particularly pronounced in Jordan, and much of
the area's history can
be linked to population shifts between large urban centers and
more dispersed, nomadic tribal groups.